The 24 Days of Christmas
by Ladyminecrafter
Summary: A story a day as Konoha prepares for Christmas. I got this idea from Winnifred Artemis who has amazing ideas and is really fun to talk with. Chapter 0 is a more thorough explanation of the story. It will include many character appearances from within the village and is an AU-non-massacre.
1. Chapter 1

So, this is actually a chapter 0. One of the authors I follow, Winnifred Artemis, had this idea of doing a story for each day leading up to Christmas. I thought it sounded fun and asked if I could too. Our stories are in no way connected, we wrote what we wrote individually with no prompts, although we did discuss ideas and such so there might be similarities. And it is Christmas so there are only so many activities you can do with that holiday.

Basically I will be uploading a story for each day between Dec 1 and Dec 24. Each one will be a snapshot of life in the village as Christmas approaches. Some are short and some are long. I also chose an AU that was non-massacre because I love Itachi and I hate what the massacre did to the village. Also realize that I am essentially a newcomer to the Naruverse. I am just starting the Invasion of Pein arc so this is set in a pre- or early Shippuden world.

This story is very different from my usual style as there is no romance and more humor. Humor is not my first skill so I hope others find it as funny as I did. There are serious moments as well.

I will finish this off with a special Christmas day story that will be different from the others.

Enjoy! And Merry Christmas!

Love,

The Lady


	2. Dec 1

The snow fell lightly in town as Sakura walked to Naruto's. She kicked the snow at her feet lightly as she walked. Snow always made everything so pretty here in Konoha, they didn't always have a white Christmas but it looked like they would this year. Arriving at Naruto's she knocked lightly on the door.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto greeted her happily with a hug.

"Hi Naruto!" She pushed his hug away and saw Sasuke behind him. "Hi Sasuke! Are you guys ready?"

"Hn." Sasuke replied which could roughly be translated as Hi and yes I'm ready.

"Lets go then." She looped an arm with each of them, Naruto happily held on and Sasuke stiffened before he relaxed and just walked along beside her.

The trio arrived downtown just as Ino, Shikamaru and Choji arrived with Asuma. Ino eyeing Sakura's casual hold on Sasuke suspiciously.

The two teams were tasked with putting the lights on the town Christmas tree this year. Sakura was glad that they hadn't been paired with Rock Lee's team for this job. Lee and Guy Sensei would probably have found some way to make the difficult task even harder. She looked around noting that Kakashi-sensei hadn't arrived yet. Shrugging her shoulders she decided she should get things moving.

"Hey everyone! This shouldn't take too long if we all work at it." She rolled her eyes as she noted that Asuma-sensei had already lit a cigarette and was settling down on a nearby bench to watch. "Choji can you use your expansion jutsu to reach the top of the tree?"

"Sure thing Sakura!" Choji wove a few handsigns. "Ninja art expansion jutsu!"

They all watched as he grew in to the height of the tree front of them.

Shikamaru and Ino walked over with the box of lights and began unraveling them.

Naruto ran over to help. "Hey! I'm really good at unraveling lights!"

Sakura laughed quietly as she watched Naruto become entangled in the lights almost instantly.

"Sasuke!" Ino wailed. "Come help us please! I'm sure _you're_ good at this."

Shikamaru gave her an annoyed look.

"You're sickening Ino." Sakura couldn't believe that Ino was going to take this as an opportunity to flirt.

"Forehead, if you're going to insult me you could at least get your annoying teammate out of the way."

"Naruto, let the hard working people get this done!"

"Aww but Sakura-chan! I was just trying to help!"

As Naruto untangled from the lights Ino lamented Sai's absence. "I wish Sai were here, he could make an ink bird to help."

"Well he can't be here because he's on a mission. He'll be back tomorrow and help the other teams decorate." Sakura said.

"This is going to take us forever." Shikamaru sighed heavily. "What a drag."

"Sorry I'm late guys. There was this old woman who needed her pathway shoveled..."

"Ahh Kakashi-sensei! You always have the worst excuses!" Naruto yelled even as he smiled.

Kakashi surveyed the mass of lights, the tree, and the students trying to decorate it and decided to join Asuma on his bench. As he watched them he noted his pink haired students face light up with inspiration as she discussed strategy with Shikamaru.

"Why don't we have Naruto make some shadow clones then Choji can dangle him around the tree decorating it?" Sakura suggested.

"What will the rest of us do?" Shikamaru wondered why he was asking for more work even as he said it.

"We can go get snacks! Sasuke and I will get the drinks!" Ino exclaimed.

"But Ino that wouldn't make sense, we should work with our teammates. Sasuke and I will get the drinks and you and Shikamaru can get snacks." Sakura's voice dripped with sweetness. Sasuke and Shikamaru both rolled their eyes.

"Look, I know this is a drag but there are eight of us and I don't think I could let girls get the snacks and have to carry them all back. Sasuke and I will go get snacks, you girls go get the drinks." Shikamaru said this as he and Sasuke started to walk away on their mission.

They were gone before Sakura and Ino could realize what had happened. "We got played. We totally got played." Sakura grimaced at her blond friend.

"Yeah, we did." Ino agreed as they looped arms and went in search of drinks.

* * *

Shikamaru and Sasuke returned and noted that the girls had gotten back before them. Each girl had a drink, Asuma and Kakashi had a drink but there were no other drinks to be seen. Shikamaru looked around. Choji was finally freeing Naruto from the last of the lights, the tree was decorated, mostly. As he looked away Choji broke his expansion jutsu to return to normal size. "Umm where are the drinks?"

"Oh, about that. Since we're just girls we didn't have enough hand space to carry more than two drinks a piece. We felt sorry for Asuma and Kakashi because they looked cold so we gave them one each. Unfortunately we were unable to get any of the four of you a drink. Sorry!" Ino smiled sweetly at the four boys who were now staring her down.

Sakura laughed. "Really, you boys could just go get a drink yourselves if you needed one."

Sasuke just stared at the two girls who had competed for his attention for years, unsure what to do.

* * *

"Well, that was fun." Kakashi summed up the event. "Oh, Asuma. I almost forgot, I have a gift for you." He handed his fellow shinobi a rectangular package wrapped in Santa Claus and Christmas tree paper.

"Thank you." Asuma accepted the package warily.


	3. Dec 2

Asuma stood nervously at Kurenai's door, hoping no one had seen him approach. They had been seeing each other for a while but they kept it quiet, although he wasn't really sure why. He knocked and smiled when she opened the door.

"Hey there good looking." Kurenai smiled at him sweetly. "I made some dinner for us."

"Sweet!" Asuma followed her into her home and gave her a hug and kiss when the door was fully shut. "Merry Christmas beautiful." He handed her the present he had brought, not noticing the curious look she gave it as she put it down to hug him.

"Merry Christmas, Asuma." She leaned into him and returned his kiss with her own.

XXX

Asuma settled back on the couch with his arm around Kurenai. "That was an excellent meal, thank you."

"You're welcome." Kurenai shifted so she could look up at him and smile. "Do you think you'll get what you want for Christmas?"

"I doubt it."

"Why is that?"

"Because I'm in love with an amazing woman who won't go public with it." Asuma grinned at her in the fading light.

Kurenai punched him lightly in the shoulder. "I'm just not ready yet. Give me time."

"You know I will babe..." Asuma pulled her around so she was facing him and leaned in to kiss her. "You know I will."


	4. Dec 3

Kurenai smiled as she made her way to the village tree. It had fallen to her and Guy's team to put the decorations on in preparation for the official lighting in a few days. She was sure that Guy and Lee would make this an interesting exercise. She waved at Hinata and Tenten who had already arrived. "Hi there ladies."

"Hello Kurenai-sensei." The girls greeted her simultaneously.

"I brought some cranberries and popcorn and I thought we could make garland with it to decorate the tree while the guys put the ornaments on. What do you think?" Kurenai said pointing at the box that she had placed on the bench.

"Sounds like a fantastic idea to me! Then I won't be subjected to some insane idea like being vaulted to the top by Lee!" Tenten smiled even as she said this.

"That sounds like an amazing idea Tenten! Leave it to you to come up with the best ideas!" Lee announced his arrival with his enthusiastic approval of Tentens fears.

"NO!" Tenten yelled and then noticing that Neji and Guy-sensei had also arrived she softened her voice. "I mean, Hinata and Kurenai-sensei will need my help with the popcorn and cranberries."

"Of course she will!" Guy agreed with his young student. "The young men and I will show off the awesome power of our youth by putting all these ornaments on the tree ourselves!" As he stepped aside they saw the boxes of ornaments that he and Lee had brought with them.

"Hello Neji." Hinata nervously greeted her cousin.

"Hello, Hinata."

"Well then I guess we're just waiting for Shino before we get started." Guy enthusiastically looked around.

"I'm already here. I've been here since the beginning." A monotone voice sounded from behind the bench and everyone looked to see Shino leaning up against a tree watching them all from the confines of his hoodie.

"Oh hi, Shino." Hinata smiled at her teammate. "I-I'm glad you're here."

"Hhmmm. Not glad enough to notice me though." Was the reply that the insect handler gave. "Kiba wanted me to let you know that he can't be here."

"Well, it's settled then! The lovely ladies will string the popcorn and cranberries while we men carry out the task of ornamenting this lovely tree!" Guy motioned for the boys to follow him over to the tree with the ornaments.

"But how will we do this Guy-sensei? The tree is very tall!" Lee stared up at the top of the tree while he said this.

"By exercising the awesome power of our youth!" Guy smiled at the group in front of him. "Shino and Neji will decorate the bottom of the tree while Lee and I use our taijutsu moves to take care of the top!"

"An excellent plan sensei!" Lee excitedly move to collect a few ornaments before leaping up and placing them on the highest parts of the tree.

Neji rolled his eyes at Shino and gave a longing glance to the girls, even though it meant spending time with Hinata he wished he were working with them rather than this ridiculous group.

Shino simply leaned against the lamp post and watched as he deployed an army of insects that collected ornaments and placed them on the tree as he stood, hands stuffed in his pockets and face obscured by his shirt.

Tenten looked up to see Lee and her sensei vaulting over the tree at various angles, placing ornaments as they did so, Neji resignedly hanging ornaments towards the bottom of the tree and Shino seemingly standing there doing nothing. She smiled as she noticed a hoard of insects moving an ornament from the box to the tree. It looked like things were turning out they way she had expected they would.

* * *

It had been several hours, Guy and Lee were panting but the tree was decorated. The two of them had shared the task of wrapping the garland the girls had made around the tree when the ornaments were done and a few brave birds were already pecking at it towards the top of the tree.

"That, my students, is a job well done. Hurray for the power of youth!" Guy posed and gave them all a thumbs up._ (Insert "ting" here)_

"It is a job well done. You should all be proud of the teamwork you showed." Kurenai complimented the group. "Oh Guy, here's a little gift to get you in the holiday mood. I hope you enjoy it. Hinata, Tenten, did you want to come over for some hot chocolate?"


	5. Dec 4

"Hi guys!" Iruka greeted his students.

"Hi Iruka-sensei!" They chorused back at him.

"Iruka-sensei? What are we going to do today?" Udon asked.

"I think we should go sledding, you know, for ninja practice." That was Konahamaru trying to get out of school.

"Nice try Konohamaru. No sledding today. However, we will be making ornaments to add to the town Christmas tree."

"Yay!" The kids all chorused again.

"But we'll be doing it outside." Iruka laughed as his students tumbled out of the school building. Dumping a box of pine cones out he explained. "There are pine cones here, peanut butter on the table and a few boxes of bird seed." He looked at them conspiratorially, "Your mission is to cover the pine cones in peanut butter and then roll them in the seed. Then we'll go to the town tree and hang them there for the birds!"

* * *

Iruka grumpily wiped the peanut butter off his face as he surveyed the work his students had accomplished. The tree had the pine cone ornaments on it, yes, but quite a few of his students looked like pine cone ornaments themselves. Konohamaru was covered in peanut butter and seed, as was Udon and a few others. Moegi had somehow managed to make several cones without a mess, a fact of which he was very glad. The ground around the tree was covered in peanut butter and seed but he figured that would clean itself up when they all left, courtesy of some small animals. He wondered if the peanut butter would ever come out of his flack vest or if he should just throw it away and get a new one.

His heart sank as they made their way back to the academy. The table had a solid inch of peanut butter on it and bird seed ground into that. He watched as a small flock of birds that had been feeding there flew away squawking at the disturbance their arrival caused. "Ok. Now we need to clean up."

The kids collectively groaned as he said this. 'But Iruka-sensei!" This was followed by shouts of "I'm tired!", "I'm sticky!" and "I'm hungry!" Iruka sighed, there were days that he loved his job, this was not one of them.

"Iruka! It's so nice to see the students enjoying the springtime of their youth!" Iruka looked up to see Guy walking towards him with a package in hand. "I wanted to pass on a little of my appreciation for all you do with these fine young students." Guy handed him a present wrapped in blue paper with snowflakes scattered all over it.

"Ummm. Thanks Guy." Iruka was a little confused but he tucked the mysterious package under his arm and turned to start the clean up.


	6. Dec 5

Ino smiled as she pulled the wagon full of poinsettias behind her. Her mother had asked her to deliver them to some of the people in the village. Christmas was one of her favorite holidays and she loved the beautiful red plants that decorated peoples doorsteps and hearths this time of year. They brought so much color to the holiday.

She stopped at Iruka-sensei's door and knocked lightly. When Iruka opened it she smiled. "Iruka-sensei, my mom wanted me to deliver your poinsettia."

"Why thank you, Ino. That's so thoughtful of your mom." He gratefully accepted the seasonal plant. "Here I have a little something for you." He handed her a package wrapped in green paper that had red shuriken printed all over it. "Have fun delivering the rest of them."

"Thank you!" Ino waved as she left to continue on her mission.

Coming to the next delivery she groaned, it was Naruto's house. "Naruto! Open up!" Ino pounded on the door. "I have a plant for you!"

Naruto opened the door only to find a plant shoved in his face. He just caught the back of Ino's head as she walked away pulling a wagon behind her. "Thanks Ino!"

Sighing she realized that the next four deliveries were all on the same street and her wagon could be left behind. Balancing the four plants with her jutsu she came to her first house, knocking lightly with her foot. When Shikamaru answered the door the look he gave her was incredulous. "Oh so you can balance four poinsettias but you can only carry two drinks? Troublesome woman."

"Shikamaru! Just take your plant!" Ino threw the plant at her teammate, cracking it's pot on the side of his head, and stormed off to finish.

* * *

Ino sighed. She had been delivering plants for hours, or at least that's how it seemed. She was finally on her last one. She'd saved the best for last, Sasuke! She made her way into the Uchiha district and found his house. Smiling she approached his door and was about to knock when a voice startled her. "What are you doing here, Ino?" Ino looked disbelievingly to her left where Sakura appeared with Sasuke.

"I'm delivering poinsettia's for my mother, forehead! What are you doing here?"

"Oh, my mom sent me over with a poinsettia and some Christmas cookies for Sasuke and his family. He **is** on my team you know!" Sakura glared at her blond rival and then smiled sweetly.

Ino then noticed the poinsettia that Sasuke was carrying, it was huge, probably three times the size of the one her mom had given her to bring to him. "Fine! Well, I brought one too!"

Sasuke just rolled his eyes. What was he going to do with these anyway?


	7. Dec 6

Sakura arrived breathless at the pond. She didn't want to be late and hear about it the whole time they were ice skating. She saw that only Hinata and Tenten had arrived so far. "Hi there!"

"Oh hi Sakura!" Hinata smiled at her while she laced up her skates, Sakura joined her on the bench to do the same.

"I'm here. The party can start now." Ino arrived with her usual fanfare and everyone laughed at her feigned superiority. "Sakura," the blonde looked over at her friend. "I brought you a little gift." She smiled sweetly and handed her a rectangular shape present which Sakura set down with her boots. She glanced questioningly at the shuriken printed paper, that wasn't Ino's style at all.

The four of them gathered at the edge of the pond waiting for Naruto and Kiba to join them. They were going to teach them how to ice skate. "Ok, Hinata and I will work with Naruto, and Ino and Tenten will work with Kiba. Does that work?"

"Sure thing forehead!" Ino replied quickly.

"I-I guess it will work." Hinata said as a slow blush worked its way up her face.

Naruto and Kiba hobbled over to the edge of the pond on their skates. "Are you sure about this Sakura-chan?" Naruto, whom everyone knew was a perfectly capable ninja, looked terrified of the frozen pond.

"You'll be fine, Naruto. Everyone can ice skate, you should too." Sakura reassured him. Grasping one of his arms she looked at Hinata, "Hinata, can you hold his other arm and we'll balance him to begin with?"

"S-s-sure, Sakura." Hinata reached to take hold of Naruto's arm and turned beet red.

Sakura sighed, she was going to be supporting Naruto's full weight herself.

"I could help." The deep voice broke into her thoughts and she looked up to see Itachi standing at the edge of the pond with Sasuke standing next to him. Both brothers had their skates on already and Sakura wondered how they'd arrived and gotten them on so silently.

"Would you mind?" She asked him, smiling gently at him.

"Not at all. Sasuke had heard that you were teaching Naruto how to skate today and we decided to come watch." His small smile betrayed the amusement he wasn't showing. As he spoke he moved to be on the other side of Naruto and held his arm.

"Ok, Naruto, when I say three we're going to step onto the ice and push off." Sakura instructed.

"Uh- ok. If you say so."

"One, two, three!" Sakura and Itachi stepped out onto the ice pulling Naruto between them and pushed off. Naruto slipped and panicked, grabbing onto Sakura with both hands he pulled her down on top of him on the ice.

"I'm sorry Sakura-chan."

"It's no problem. Lets try again." Sakura righted herself and then she and Itachi helped Naruto to his feet again.

* * *

Sakura dusted herself off and got up off the ice again. She looked over to see how Kiba was doing with Ino and Tenten. Kiba laughed easily as he skated between the two girls, Akamaru watching from inside his hoodie.

"Kiba, are you sure you didn't know how to do this before?" Tenten asked playfully.

"I promise." Kiba smiled at the girls next to him.

It seemed like Kiba was taking to skating well. She wished Naruto would pick up on it so quickly. "Come on Naruto, lets try again!"

* * *

The air flew past them as they skated around the pond side by side. Sakura looked admiringly at Itachi as he drifted in front of her for a moment turning to face her so that he was skating backwards in front of her now. He reached out to hold her hands, smiling at her as he did. She took them and he immediately turned her in a spin, securing his arm around her waist and then turning so that he was beside her again only holding her in his arms this time. He slowed as they reached the edge of the pond, stopping when they got there.

"Thank you for the skate, Sakura-san." He wasn't even winded, how did he do that?

She smiled at him. "No, thank you Itachi-san. That was fun." She noticed Sasuke giving her a strange look and smiled back at Itachi again. He was an amazing skater and skating with him had been a treat after two hours of dragging Naruto around the ice and being pulled down by him. He hadn't managed to pull Itachi down in his antics, although glancing sideways at Itachi now Sakura thought that maybe it would've been more fun to fall down with him. She blushed at the thought and moved to the bench to take her skates off. "Sasuke, I didn't know you could ice skate."

"Of course I can. You're so annoying."

Itachi gave his brother an amused look. "Well, I have a meeting. See you around."

Sakura smiled at Itachi and waved good bye as she turned to Naruto who was still skating around the pond. He had finally mastered it, like everything else he did, he was horrible at it until suddenly he was perfect at it. She sighed, she'd never understand how he did it, he probably would be Hokage someday.


	8. Dec 7

Sakura answered the door, surprised to find Kakashi on the other side. "You're the first here? What gives?"

"Hey, do I deserve that? You used to respect me." Kakashi's eye creased letting her know he was smiling at her.

Sakura laughed. "Would you like some tea, Kakashi-sensei?"

"That would be nice." As he spoke there was another knock on the door. "Want me to get that?"

"If you would." She watched as Naruto tumbled in the door and Sasuke leaned against the frame. "Oh hi there boys, come in!"

Team seven had decided to make cookies together and they were at Sakura's to do it since she had the best kitchen of all. She was looking forward to this. Another knock at the door which she answered this time brought the arrival of Yamato and Sai, who occasionally subbed onto team seven and they were ready to start.

"I thought we'd make gingerbread men today. It'll be fun decorating them." Sakura started rolling out the dough to cut out the gingerbread men.

"Why are they called gingerbread men, Sakura? Are there no gingerbread women?" Sai inquired.

There was a collective groan from the boys in the room as Sakura formed an answer. Yamato came to her rescue, "That's easy Sai. Gingerbread men are all flat and we all know that women aren't flat." This brought a round of chuckles from the guys, Sakura hit Yamato in the head with a gumdrop.

"Yamato!" But she was smiling as she lay the cut out gingerbread men on the cookie sheet. "After I bake them we can decorate them."

* * *

"Sakura, do you have any scissors?"

"They're in the drawer Sai. Why do you need them?"

"I'm making all my gingerbread into girls from the village and the gumdrops are too big for some of them."

Sakura looked over to see that indeed Sai had made Hinata, and Ino. She could tell from the large gumdrops and hair color they were decorated with and he was now working on her and Tenten. "Sai! That's so rude!" She grabbed a gumdrop and pinged him in the head with it.

She finished making her gingerbread man who looked like the second hokage and looked around. Kakashi and Sasuke were watching everyone else with plain gingerbread men in front of them. Yamato was making his gingerbread men look like trees, and Naruto was actually trying to make them look cute. She sighed when she saw that all of Sai's were anatomically correct.

"Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei, you're not decorating." She smiled at them.

"Well, you know, I didn't want to use all the decorations." Kakashi eye creased again.

She sighed, he wasn't one for group activities, unless it was training.

Sasuke broke a foot off of his and nibbled at it before choking. "This is gingerbread?" He hollered looking a little green. "What did you put in it, Sakura?"

"It's just a little healthier than regular gingerbread, that's all." She smiled, she always had their best interests at heart.

* * *

Sakura was cleaning up, Kakashi was the only one left from the cookie baking. "Do you think I'm a bad cook, Kakashi-sensei?"

"I think you cook with the best of intentions, Sakura." He rose from his seat. "Thank you for the tea."

"Oh!" Sakura ran over to him. "I almost forgot! I have a present for you." She proudly presented Kakashi with a present.

"Why thank you, you didn't have to." He weighed the package in his hands, it felt very solid and he had a sinking feeling he knew what it was. He waved goodbye as he left his favorite pink haired students apartment. Wandering off down the street, in the direction of his own apartment, he noticed that Sasuke and Naruto were goofing off throwing snowballs at each other so he decided to join in.

Sneaking up on them he put the gift Sakura had given him on the bench nearby and made a few snowballs which he promptly launched at both boys.

"Ahhh! Kakashi-sensei! That's not fair! You sneaked up on us!" Naruto hollered as both boys attempted to hit him with their own snowballs.

"Silence is a ninja's greatest ally and the element of surprise will always stand in your favor." He smiled as he started for home again.

"Sensei, you forgot your gift." Sasuke called after him.

"Oh, it's for you Sasuke! Enjoy."


	9. Dec 8

"Shino, may I make a request?" Sai asked.

Shino looked up from the insect on his pointer finger. "What do you need?"

"I wanted to forge a stronger bond with my friends by choosing gifts and because I also wish to forge a stronger bond with you I thought I would ask your help."

Shino was slightly taken aback, not many people requested his help, especially when it came to something like gift-giving. "Who did you want to give gifts to?"

Sai turned a very pale shade of pink. "I've been observing Hinata and I would like to get to know her better, I read in a book that the best way to do that is to give them a present."

"When speaking of someone you have a crush on it's best to phrase things in the least creepy way possible, especially when speaking to their teammate." Shino said.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Sai apologized. "Would you be willing to help me with purchasing a gift?"

Shino looked thoughtful for a moment. "Her hobby is flower pressing, we should start there."

* * *

Sai and Shino were standing in front of Hinata in the court yard of the Hyuga compound.

"Hinata, I wanted to give this to you, in honor of the holiday season." Sai said, holding out a gift bag with snowflakes on it and light blue tissue paper coming out of the top.

"Oh, thank you Sai." Hinata reached forward and grasped the handles of the bag, only to drop it immediately, surprised by the weight of the seemingly small package. Hinata picked up the bag again, more prepared for the weight and once making sure that Shino's foot was okay, opened it up. Laying at the bottom of the bag were two bricks. "Um Sai, why did you give me bricks?" Hinata questioned.

"To help with your flower pressing."


	10. Dec 9

_AN: This is a short one today! I hope everyone is getting ready for Christmas and having fun!_

* * *

Sasuke sighed as he and Naruto got the final wreath hung on a lamppost. Naruto standing precariously on one his clones shoulders to secure it. He was going to get revenge on his older brother for this one, he was, after all, an avenger. At least that's what he was telling himself today. He smirked as he remembered the words his brother had tricked him with. Well at least it had given him the chance to deliver his "present" to Shisui.

* * *

"Hey Sasuke! Want to do some training with Shisui and I today?"

"Of course I do!" Sasuke loved training with his brother, and the inclusion of their cousin was an added bonus.

"Why don't you bring Naruto along as well?"

"Really?"

"Yeah, it'll reinforce what Kakashi has been teaching you guys about team work." Itachi smiled. He and Shisui had been tasked by Fugaku to decorate the Uchiha district for Christmas this year and he figured it was a perfect opportunity to show his little brother that he would always be there for him.


	11. Dec 10

AN: Another short one...but it is one of my favorites. And it is my birthday! So Happy birthday to me!

* * *

Naruto tumbled past Kotetsu and Izumo as if Orochimaru himself were chasing him, they realized when they saw the Hokage in hot pursuit that he might be better off with Orochimaru. "I wonder what that's all about?" Kotetsu mused.

They got their answer when they rounded the corner and the Hokage mountain came into view. Naruto was up to his old ways again. The first, third and fourth Hokages had been painted to look like elves, while the second and fifth were the spitting image of Santa and Mrs Claus.

He turned to see Shisui and Itachi dragging the poor boy back to the tower with a fuming Hokage behind them.

Shisui smiled at his fellow shinobi. "Hi there Kotetsu-san! A gift for you!" He handed the spiky haired ninja a package wrapped with a purple bow as he passed by.

Kotetsu laughed, "Why thank you. Don't you think the first makes a stern Santa?"

"I heard that," The steaming Hokage mumbled, "and if you don't want to get tasked with clean up then I suggest you make yourself scarce."

Kotetsu and Izumo needed no further hints, they sprinted back to the gate guard duty despite the cold weather.


	12. Dec 11

AN: Another short one. I love Sai, his straightforward literal way of understanding things suits my humor. I think he'd be fun to hang out with.

* * *

Kiba and Naruto leaned heavily on Sai who was helping them both down the stairs.

"You're not such a bad guy, you know that Sai?" Naruto rambled with a slight hiccup in his voice.

"Does that mean that we are friends now Naruto?" Sai inquired.

"Well, maybe...I don't know." The blonde slipped out of Sai's arm and sat down on the bottom step to think about this.

"You know Sai..." Kiba looked up at the sky as if he'd forgotten what he was going to say, then looking back at Sai and Naruto he scrunched his eyes closed. "Sai, how are you not lit?" He demanded of the man holding him up.

"That's simple Kiba. I am not lit because my body is not wired for lighting." Sai responded in his unblinking manner.

"That's not what I mean!" Kiba's voice was getting louder as he pulled away from Sai and sat down heavily on the stairs next to Naruto.

"Then what do you mean?" Sai asked with genuine interest, he really wanted to understand his new friends and fit in better.

"I mean you're not wasted!"

"Why would I be wasted? Has my usefulness ended?" Sai was getting more and more confused as he watched the two men in front of him. Naruto was looking at him with a strange questioning look, while Kiba's anger was growing by the minute. "Why do I anger you Kiba?"

"Because you're not smashed!"

"Why would I be smashed? No one has hit me with a hammer."

At this Naruto looked up, seemingly as if he just remembered that Sai and Kiba where there with him. "What he means Sai is that you drank as much as we did and it had no effect on you at all. How do you do that?"

Sai just smiled. Kiba and he had been tasked with helping Genma prepare for the Jonin Christmas party. For Naruto it had been extra duty for decorating the Hokage faces. In the course of decorating and preparing Genma had let them 'sample' some of the eggnog which apparently had been spiked. "I have been trained to work the effects of alcohol out of my system very quickly so it does not affect me like most."

"Yeah I noticed." Naruto stood shakily to his feet and stumbled as he tried to resume his walk home.

"I read in a book that friends help each other have a good time and that getting drunk is sometimes part of that. Would you like me to go get drunk so that I may join you?"

"I think I'm going to puke." Kiba held his hand over his mouth and ran for the bushes. Sai and Naruto simply watched.

"Nah. Just help me get him home. You're ok Sai, you're ok." Naruto leaned heavily on Sai as they hauled Kiba out of the foliage and started dragging him towards home.

"Good night kids!" Genma passed them. "Don't tell Lady Tsunade that I let you get drunk, yeah?" Sai watched him carefully, studying his actions while he sailed past them with an odd rectangular package that Kotetsu had dropped off while they'd been decorating tucked under his arm.


	13. Dec 12

"I'm sorry, you cannot enter this room, Naruto." Sai was staring his teammate down.

"But why?"

"Because it's the Jonin Christmas party. You have to be a Jonin to be here." Sai's expression never changed.

"That sucks!" Naruto was disappointed, he wanted to join the party it sounded like they were having fun in there.

He heard a shriek that he was sure came from Anko, "Ibiki! Keep your hands to yourself!" And he strained his neck to see over Sai's shoulder. Sai simply moved and blocked his view.

"Naruto, I need to ask you to leave."

"Naruto, you aren't giving Sai a hard time are you?" Genma's voice came from behind him.

Naruto froze. "Umm no, of course not."

"Because if you were I could always let Lady Tsunade know that you didn't help much with the decorating. I'm sure she'd be glad to find something else for you to do."

"Oh no! I was just saying good night to Sai, that's all." Naruto ducked around the hokage guard and took off. "See you tomorrow Sai!"

"Thank you Genma-san." Sai looked gratefully at the Jonin.

"No problem. Hey, I got you a little gift, you know, as a thank you." Genma handed the package he was holding to Sai and whistled as he entered the party.


	14. Dec 13

"Hi Sakura-chan!" Naruto hopped in front of Sakura trying to get her attention.

"Hi Naruto. Have you seen the others?" She was scanning the crowd for her teammates.

"Oh yeah! I saw them over there. I was wondering if you wanted to just hang out with me tonight. You know, like a date?"

Sakura promptly smacked Naruto on the head. "Why would I do that? Now lets go find the rest of the team!"

"Fine." Naruto led her to where Kakashi, Yamato and Sai were standing.

They were gathered with many others for the town tree lighting. She looked at the tree and how it had been decorated. The lighting was a little uneven in places but the garland of cranberries and popcorn looked really cool. The ornaments had been put on in a sort of haphazard way and some of them were hanging rather precariously and there were what looked to be clumps of bird seed in places. Investigating more closely she realized that it had been Iruka-sensei's project with the students at the academy. A few of them looked to have turned out better than the others.

She smiled, it was the best Konoha tree she could imagine. It had been decorated with enthusiasm even if the decorations weren't the best or most symmetrical. The tree showed teamwork and that was what mattered the most.

"The tree is very...interesting this year."

She was surprised to realize that Itachi was standing next to her. "It does. I think it shows teamwork. I know it's not the prettiest tree but everyone has had a part in it and that makes it special. Don't you think?"

"I agree, Sakura-chan." Itachi smiled down at her.

Sakura smiled back up at him, blushing slightly at the attention the older Uchiha brother was giving her.

"I'll let you get back to your team now. Merry Christmas Sakura."

Sakura returned to her teammates to notice that Sasuke was giving her another odd look but she dismissed it.

"Merry Christmas forehead!"

"Merry Christmas pig!" The two girls laughed and hugged each other.

"Ahh, Choji. Just the person I was hoping to see." Sai said as he stepped forward. "I got you a gift that I think you'll love." He handed the redhead a package.

"Thank you Sai." Choji looked at him oddly but accepted the package anyway, maybe it was some chocolate.


	15. Dec 14

Choji wandered down the street munching happily on the bag of potato chips in his hand with a brightly wrapped gift tucked securely under his arm. He just had to deliver this present and then he'd be headed over the to the barbecue place to celebrate with his teammates. He sighed, life was good.

* * *

"Choji! You need to leave some for us!" Ino screamed at him from the other side of the table. "It's Christmas after all, you're supposed to do stuff for your friends."

"Christmas is so troublesome." Shikamaru sighed.

"Now why do you say that?" Asuma looked at his brilliant student thoughtfully.

"Because it is. You have to put out special decorations, you have to buy gifts for people you hardly even like. And most troublesome of all...everyone has a party to go to." Shikamaru sighed again, loudly and slumped in his seat.

Asuma took out a cigarette and lit it, dragging slowly on it and then exhaling. "You know, Christmas is so much more than that."

Shikamaru eyed him warily and the other two at the table stopped bickering over the last two pieces of barbecue to listen also. "Yeah? What do you mean Asuma-sensei?"

"Christmas is a time that we can be thankful for what we have and what we will have."

Shikamaru sat up, indicating that his sensei had his full attention.

"At Christmas we celebrate the loved ones in our lives by giving them gifts and showing them that we care."

"What about the ones you've lost?" It was apparent that Shikamaru was referring to the loved ones lost because of their ninja life, lost in battle, defending the village and the people in it.

"Well Shikamaru that's the best part of celebrating. Those people who've gone before us made a sacrifice so that we could live in peace. We can honor their sacrifice by celebrating what we have because of them. And more importantly Christmas gives us an opportunity to grow even closer to those around us so that we have more to celebrate next year." Asuma leaned back, satisfied with his explanation.

"Asuma-sensei, that's the coolest outlook on Christmas ever!" Ino crooned at her sensei.

"I guess you're right. In that case I still have a few gifts I need to get. See you guys later." Shikamaru rose from his seat and turned to leave.

"You better be getting me something good!" Ino hollered after him.


	16. Dec 15

"AL-RIGHT kids! It's time to exercise the power of our youth!" Neji and Tenten groaned but Lee jumped up in front of their sensei excitedly.

"I am ready Guy-sensei! Just tell me what to do!"

"Today we are going to build the biggest snowman that Konoha has ever seen!" Guy smiled brilliantly at his three students.

"Why can't we just have a normal team Christmas party?" Tenten grumbled.

"Do not fear Tenten, this will be far more fun than you think!" Guy looked around. "Now the first thing we have to do is start rolling snow for the body. Neji, you and Tenten work on the bottom one and Lee and I will work on the other one."

* * *

"Uughhh!" The four of them grunted as they maneuvered the snowball head up onto the snowman they were making.

"That looks amazing! Now what do we decorate it with?" Lee was still jumping up and down in excitement.

"Didn't I ask you to bring carrots and such?" Guy scratched his head wondering if the winter had chilled his springtime.

"I have an idea." Tenten offered pulling out one of her weapons scrolls. "We can use a kunai for the nose, shuriken for eyes, and two of my tonfa for arms." She smiled as she stuck the weapons into the snowman, making sure the kunai was pointy side out.

"That is perfect Tenten!" Lee smiled broadly.

"It was a good idea, Tenten." Neji smiled quietly showing his approval at her inspiration.

"Thank you."

* * *

"Mind if I walk with you?" Neji caught up to Tenten as she was starting for home.

"Not at all." She smiled at her teammate. "Do you have a present to deliver?" She pointed at the package he was carrying.

"Oh, this is for you." Neji smiled handing it to her.

Tenten only smiled, wondering what her teammate might have gotten her.


	17. Dec 16

Tsunade wandered through the forest, she had snuck out of her office for a few minutes of peace. This time of year was always hard for her. It reminded her of all the loved ones she had lost over the years and she couldn't help but wonder if she could prevent some of that pain for the generation under her command now.

She remembered the last Christmas she'd celebrated with Dan. There had been a war on at the time and no time for frivolity. He had spirited her away from her work briefly for a kiss and a promise that he would always love her. Tears pricked at her eyes as she remembered that moment, a promise he had been unable to keep, dying shortly after making it.

Wiping away the tears that were threatening to multiply she started to make her way back to her office. If she stayed away too long Shizune would come searching for her and that was never a pretty sight. Her apprentice was one of the few people who would stand up to her.

As she approached the building several people waved and called out "Merry Christmas Hokage-sama!" She simply smirked and grunted "Bah humbug! Don't you have work to do?" Everytime she responded the person who had spoken would get a terrified look, nod their head and run off in search of work. She knew she shouldn't be so irritated, most of them were young and didn't understand the pain of loss at this time of year but her temper was legendary for a reason.

She arrived at her office to find Shikamaru waiting for her. "We had a meeting, Hokage-sama."

She nodded, "I may have to reschedule it Shikamaru, if you don't mind. I'm swamped this morning."

"No problem. Tomorrow?"

"That works." Her eyes met his and she knew that he was aware of the lie.

"If you don't mind me asking," Shikamaru hesitated. "Is everything alright?"

"It is." She sighed. "Just the time of year, that's all."

"Yeah, Christmas is a troublesome holiday." Shikamaru lazily stared out the window.

"It is, it really is." She was thankful for the accepting tone in his voice, thankful that he wasn't trying to convince her otherwise.

"Well, I think I'm going to find a cloud to stare at then if you don't need me here." Shikamaru turned to leave, at the last minute he turned back. "Just a thought, Asuma-sensei suggested that Christmas might give us a chance to honor the lives of those who sacrificed theirs so that we could celebrate another year." And with that he slipped out the door.

Tsunade stared at the closed door in shock. She might have to give Asuma an extra day off for that nugget of wisdom. Of course she'd never tell him why...it would ruin her reputation of being the toughest hokage on record.

* * *

Shikamaru ambled down the stairs, hoping he'd find a place that was warm where he could just stare off into the distance quietly.

"Oh! I found you!"

He was pulled away from his thoughts by Tenten. He looked at the girl with a bored expression on his face, desperately hoping she didn't have some assignment for him. "You did."

"I have a present for you." She handed him a package wrapped in silver paper with poinsettias garishly printed all over it. "That's all." She said to his shocked face. "See you later!"


	18. Dec 17

"I don't know..." Genma sounded skeptical of Shikamaru's suggestion and he was fairly certain he didn't want to incite the wrath of the Hokage. Raido nodded in agreement with Genma.

"Oh come on. It's just a few decorations. It will cheer the place up a bit." Shikamaru had not missed how down his hokage had been yesterday when he'd seen her and he was determined to cheer up her office, even if it was just a bit. It was out of character for him but he respected her, a lot, and he understood the pain she felt. He missed people too.

"Alright. But you're taking the fall for this if she flips. Hurry. She'll be here in an hour for work." Genma let him into her office and followed. "Raido, you keep an eye out."

Raido nodded. "Ok."

Shikamaru smiled. "Thanks Genma." And opened the box he'd brought with him. He'd thought carefully because, like Genma, he didn't want to piss Lady Tsunade off, she had the power to make his life miserable. He pulled out a strand of lights, some garland, a small wreath and some mistletoe. "I thought we'd put the garland and lights over the window and the wreath outside on the window."

Genma nodded. "I think that'll be nice. That way she can ignore it if she wants to." He helped Shikamaru string it up. "What was your plan for the mistletoe?"

"I was thinking I could hang in the doorway. She can point it out as she likes." Shikamaru chuckled, he knew that Tsunade had a mischievous side and that she might enjoy making some of her shinobi squirm.

Raido stuck his head in the door. "She's coming."

Genma and Shikamaru quickly hid the now empty box. Genma took up his guard post by her desk and Shikamaru casually lounged in a chair as she came through the door. "Good morning. You're both here early." She stopped noticing the decorations. She smiled at Shikamaru, understanding what he was trying to do. "You know it's against regulations to decorate the Hokage tower without prior approval."

Shikamaru swallowed and looked at Genma. "Is it?"

"No not really." She laughed. "The mistletoe is a nice touch. I wonder who I can get with it?"

* * *

Shikamaru smiled. He and Lady Tsunade had had a good meeting and now he was free to daydream but first he had a delivery to make. He made his detour down into the basement of the tower, arriving at the office he was looking for quickly. He knocked and opened the door when he heard the invitation from inside.

"Ibiki-san?"

Ibiki looked up in suprise. "Shikamaru? Can I help you?"

"Nah. I just had a present for you." Shikamaru deposited the garish gift on Ibiki's desk. "Merry Christmas Ibiki-san." He smiled as he left, even Ibiki needed a gift now and then.


	19. Dec 18

Shikamaru grinned, he was going to make a clean getaway. It was early in the day and he was free to daydream. Watching out for anyone who might try to ruin that he walked with purpose, if you walked with purpose people thought you were busy and wouldn't bother you. Well most people anyway he reflected as Iruka and Ino approached him.

"Shikamaru! Merry Christmas!" Ino launched herself at him.

"Merry Christmas." He replied while successfully avoiding her hug. "Merry Christmas Iruka."

"Shikamaru?" Ino had a wheedling tone in her voice and Shikamaru wondered what she was up to. "I've agreed to help Iruka-sensei put on the Christmas play again this year..."

"I'm not helping this year. I did it last year and I still can't get the glitter off the clothes I wore." Shikamaru remembered the play they'd put on last year with the academy kids. It had been some play about a star and there had been glitter everywhere, he still found traces of it in his bedroom.

"No glitter this year Shikamaru, I promise." Iruka smiled.

"This year we chose Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." Ino smiled. "No glitter." She help her hand up in the universal sign of honesty. "But if you could loan us one of the Nara herd to be Rudolph..."

"Absolutely not!" Shikamaru was outraged, his family herd were kind, intelligent animals and he would not subject them to such a disrespectful event.

"Oh." Ino ducked her head sadly. "Well, maybe you'd dress up as Rudolph then?" Her eyes brightened and she had a pleading look on her face."

Shikamru regarded his blonde teammate carefully, there was something about her that he loved. Not loved in a romantic sense but in the sense that he knew his life would be a far more boring place without her. He shrugged. "I don't know how you talk me into these things."

"YAY!" Ino screeched and she jumped on him and hugged him tightly.

He smirked and shrugged his shoulders at the strange look Itachi gave him as he walked by witnessing the odd display. Ibiki caught his eye walking out of the tower with a familiar package in his hand. He couldn't help but overhear the conversation as Ibiki stopped to talk to Itachi.

"Just the shinobi I was looking for." Ibiki handed the present over to a highly suspicious Uchiha. "A present for you."


	20. Dec 19

"Hehehe. This is going to be so fun!" Naruto giggled.

"I know, right?" Kiba laughed too.

"Hn." Sasuke added his opinion, but he was smiling too.

"Ok, it's hung. Naruto, stick your head out of the door and ask Genma to call Tsunade in here." Jiraiya was having almost as much fun as the boys were with this one.

"OK!"

A few minutes later Genma walked through the door. "She'll be here in a minute." He observed the room. Jiraiya was standing a few feet inside the door with a grin plastered on his face, and although they were hiding behind the couch, he knew that Naruto, Kiba and Sasuke were in the room too. Tsunade came bursting through the door and almost walked right into Jiraiya's arms.

"Merry Christmas Tsunade!" Jiraiya wrapped his arms around the blond and gave her a huge kiss. That was when Genma noticed the mistletoe hanging from the ceiling.

"JIRAIYA!" Tsunade punched him so hard he landed on the couch and the boys came flying out from behind it before it slid back against the wall. "Very funny! I guess you boys don't have any work to do?" Tsunade sounded mad but Genma could see her smiling.

"Mi'Lady?" Sakura came through the door and quickly figured out what had happened. "Naruto! Don't you know what it means to work?" She gathered the three boys up and booted them out of the room. Jiraiya followed before he could get hit again.

She was about to pull the mistletoe down when Tsunade smiled at her, "Just a minute Sakura." The hokage turned to Genma, "Want to prank Shizune?"

Sakura and Genma smiled. Sakura pulled out her camera. "Sure."

"I'll send her down."

A few minutes later the door opened and Shizune sailed through it. "Tsunade said you needed..." She trailed off when she realized that she had landed in Genma's arms and he was about to kiss her. "Genma! And Sakura!" Shizune blushed.

"Merry Christmas Shizune!" Genma and Sakura chorused while they were laughing.

* * *

Sakura smiled, that had been fun. The look on Shizune's face had been priceless and she had the picture to prove it. She'd put the couch back where it belonged and was pulling a chair over to pull the mistletoe down when the door opened. Itachi entered the room and looked surprised to see Sakura in there. "I'm sorry. I didn't think anyone was using this room." He turned to leave.

"Oh no. I'm just cleaning up from a little prank." Sakura smiled at the handsome Uchiha.

Itachi took the whole picture in, noting the mistletoe over Sakura's head. He moved over to where she was, "Let me get that for you." He reached up to pluck the mistletoe off the ceiling and then leaning down he kissed her softly on the cheek. "Merry Christmas Sakura." Smiling he handed her a wrapped present before he turned to call his team into the room for their meeting.


	21. Dec 20

Sai settled down with his paper and ink. He knew that Christmas cards were an important part of the Christmas tradition and that they were something you give to those you have strong bonds with, so he was going to give this a try.

Carefully he folded a piece of paper in half and drew a beautiful snowflake on the front. Then, after chewing on the end of his brush for a moment while he thought up the perfect thing to write inside he dipped his brush in the ink.

Dear Sakura, Merry Christmas. May this season be filled with flakes for you. Love Sai

Satisfied that he had offered his only female teammate an appropriate seasonal greeting he moved on.

After folding another paper in half he drew a simple star. This one would be for Yamato and he wanted it to mean something special since they were both Anbu. Most people wishes for things, hmmm, Sai chewed on his brush for a moment.

Dear Yamato, May the season be filled with wood for you. Love Sai

His next card would be for Kakashi. He smiled, he knew exactly what he wanted to say to him.

Dear Kakashi, Merry Christmas! May all your presents be...

Before he could finish he heard a knock on his door. Opening it he was surprised to see Sakura with a gift. "You didn't have to get me anything, Sakura."

"Oh don't worry. I didn't." She replied sweetly. "I'm delivering this to Jiraiya and I wondered if you wanted to go with me. We could go ice skating when we're done."

"Of course. Just let me put my supplies away." Sai happily put his brush and ink away, to finish his cards later and joined Sakura at the door. "Sakura, I think I am really beginning to understand the holiday season a little more."


	22. Dec 21

Sakura was walking home from her shift at the hospital. She had filled in for someone who had gotten the flu and was tired. She shivered from the cold and pulled her jacket in closer around her to preserve the warmth she had in it. She thought she heard giggling behind her and was about to turn around when she felt the unmistakeable smack of a snowball on the back of her head and felt the snow drifting down her back and into her collar. She turned, anger apparent on her face, to see who had the nerve to do this but saw no one.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto's unmistakeable voice came from behind the bench near her. "You weren't supposed to get hit!"

"Naruto! Did you hit me with that snowball?"

"No! Sakura-chan, I would never do that! It was Sasuke!"

Sasuke's head came up from behind the bench as well. "Thanks for selling me out, dobe." He didn't look happy.

"But, you see, the snowball was meant for them." Naruto was pointing behind her.

Sakura turned to see what Naruto was pointing at and noticed a shock of white hair and a shock of brown hair sticking up from behind the bushes. "Kakashi-sensei? Yamato Taichou?" Both men rose from behind the bushes with guilty looks on their faces.

"Oh hi, it's my favorite student." Kakashi tried to soften her anger.

"Favorite student, yeah right!" Sakura balled up snow in her hands and forcefully threw the snowball at her sensei who easily dodged the frozen projectile. She then turned and ran to hide behind a bench further down the road a bit and began making herself a pile of firm snowballs. She'd show them who they could hit with snowballs.

She jumped when she felt a hand on her arm and turning she was surprised to see Itachi and Jiraiya smiling at her. Itachi put a finger to his mouth indicating she should stay quiet and that he and Jiraiya would sneak across the road and help. She smiled, this was going to be fun.

She watched as the four male members of her team came ambling down the road. "Did you see the look on her face? Good thing she believed Sasuke threw it or I'd be dead." Naruto chuckled contentedly.

"I don't see how that made a difference, dobe." Sasuke looked at Naruto as if he couldn't be more annoying.

"Come on Sasuke, we all know she has a soft spot for you." Yamato teased the younger man.

"Hn."

Kakashi was avoiding the entire conversation by reading his book while they walked.

All of sudden Sakura jumped up out from behind the bench with an armload of snowballs that she launched at the group of men. "Cha!"

"Sakura, you should know that you can't just hit us with such an obvious attack. You need stealth, the element of suprise!" Sasuke chastised her.

"I know I can't Sasuke-kun." She smiled sweetly and watched them get pelted from behind by Itachi and Jiraiya's snowballs. "I was the distraction."

"Damn!" Yamato wiped the snow off his face and off his hair.

"Hn. Nice one." Sasuke simply shook his head and displaced the snow.

"Not fair!" Naruto was covered in snow but laughing contentedly while he made more snowballs and tried to hit Jiraiya with them.

Sakura laughed, it was fun beating them once in a while. She smiled at Jiraiya and Itachi, "Thanks Itachi-san, Jiriaya-san."

They smiled back at her and nodded their welcome.

"Oh! Before I meet Tsunade, I almost forgot. Yamato Taichou! I got you a present!" Jiriaya stopped next to Yamato and handed him a firm rectangular package before taking off for the Hokage's office. "Enjoy!"

Kakashi eyed the package suspiciously and just kept walking.


	23. Dec 22

Kakashi opened his door and eyed the three people standing at it with misgivings. His team didn't usually visit him at home and he wondered what they were up to. Sakura was smiling and holding a mysterious box. Sasuke was slumped against the wall looking bored. His eyes widened when he realized that Naruto and Yamato were snickering behind her. Now he thought he knew what they were up to. "Hello."

"Kakashi-sensei! We came to decorate for you! We're going to make your house festive! Believe it!"

Kakashi sighed and wondered if it was even worth resisting.

"Kakashi-sensei, we knew you wouldn't decorate yourself so we decided to do it for you and I brought some extra decorations. Can we please?" Sakura smiled sweetly up at her silver haired sensei.

He knew it was a waste of time to resist with that smile on her face, she wouldn't be taking no for an answer so he moved aside and allowed them to enter. Sasuke handed him a bag as he walked by which he accepted with a questioning look. "Snacks." The untalkative Uchiha replied to the unspoken question.

He turned in time to see Yamato grow a small, all wooden Christmas tree in his living room and Sakura set to stringing lights on it. "We figured a tree without pine needles was a good choice since it wouldn't make a mess."

"I suppose I should be thankful for that." Kakashi smiled under his mask. "I'll serve the snacks." He took the bag to the kitchen and began pulling snacks and drinks out.

"Sasuke! Aren't you going to help?" Sakura sounded like she was getting upset. "This is a team activity."

"Hn." Was the reply but Kakashi noted that he did move closer to the tree. "You're so annoying."

* * *

Sitting back on his couch Kakashi eyed the odd tree with curiousity. He supposed it did make his apartment more festive. He had turned out all the other lights and was enjoying the lights of the tree which twinkled in the darkening twilight. He had actually enjoyed watching his team work together as they had decorated the tree and because Sakura had been in charge the decorations where pleasing and not gaudy or garish.

He eyed the gift Yamato had left him, it was garish and he suspected that he knew what it was without even picking it up.


	24. Dec 23

"Deck the Halls with boughs of holly! Fa la la la, la la la!"

Sakura looked around and smiled. Many people from the village were gathered here by the town tree to listen to the caroling. It hadn't been her idea, it had been Shizune's. She had invited several of them to join her and sing Christmas carols here by the tree for the enjoyment of those watching. Christmas spirit she had said.

So Sakura was standing here with Shizune Ino, Hinata, Shikamaru, and Lee. Behind them stood Shisui, Itachi, Genma, Raido and Ibiki adding their deeper voices to the mix. She thought they sounded quite good as they made their way through the list of songs that Shizune had chosen.

The people watching clapped and cheered as they passed hot cocoa around. She noticed Sasuke standing off to one side listening from the shadows and she smiled.

* * *

"That was beautiful, Shizune." Tsunade complimented the woman who was her right hand, and sometimes her left too.

"It was." Kakashi agreed. "Oh Lady Tsunade! I brought you a gift!" Handing her a package wrapped in bright, almost gaudy, silver paper he smiled brightly through his mask. "Merry Christmas! See you at the party tomorrow night!" And wandered off into the night.

"That was so much fun! Thank you for inviting me Shizune!" Sakura joined them beside the tree sipping at her hot cocoa.

"You're welcome. It was a lot of fun and we sounded good."

"You did sound good, Shizune. You did an excellent job." Tsunade looked around her at the people milling about the tree. This was her village, she was in charge of protecting it and she wished with all her might that she could help them be this happy always. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Sasuke, talking with Itachi and Shisui. He looked frustrated as his eyes flicked to Sakura.

* * *

"You know little brother, she's becoming a beautiful young woman." Itachi smirked.

"Who is?"

"You know who I mean." Itachi simply walked away into the night as he said these last words.


	25. Dec 24

AN: Hello lovely readers! Thank you so much for reading my story! We have made it all the way through 24 days! And what a ride it has been for Konoha and its lively ninja! There is one more installment after today, an Omake if you will, so be sure to check back tomorrow for that. It is the tale of the gift that has been passed on throughout the entire month of stories. If you didn't notice it then go back and check, it has made its rounds in our friendly group and they have all had their own reactions to it. I hope you have enjoyed reading this silly little story. It is different from what I usually write so it was a learning experience for me.

Merry Christmas!

* * *

Tsunade sat back in the soft chair and smiled at the group gathered in Sakura's living room. She admired all the shinobi who served the village with her, thinking about their bravery in the past year and wondering what the coming year would bring for Konoha.

"Mi'lady! Come have some eggnog! Hinata brought it and it's delicious!" Sakura pulled Tsunade out of her reverie.

"I will." She rose from her chair to follow Sakura over to the amazing spread of food on Sakura's table.

"Everyone brought so much, I'm really amazed." Sakura said as they looked it over, their thoughts were interrupted by the doorbell. "Excuse me." Sakura hurried to answer it.

"Gaara!" Naruto greeted his friend enthusiastically.

"Hello Naruto."

Temari, Kankuro, Gaara! I'm so glad you made it! I was worried that you'd been delayed." Sakura greeted the trio with hugs.

The sand siblings were greeted by everyone as Sakura led them to the table and urged them to eat. Laughter rang out through her apartment and Sakura reflected that this is what the holidays were about, family and friends remembering the good times together and holding each other through the bad ones.

* * *

"I'm so glad you made it Gaara." Lady Tsunade was walking her fellow Kage to the Konoha Inn after the party. "The Leaf and Sand should do more together." She smiled at him.

"We should. We all get along well enough. It's sometimes hard to convince my shinobi that it's worth the trip though." He smiled at the complaints he got when he suggested it.

"I know." Tsunade stopped walking. "Well this is where our paths diverge tonight. I'll see you tomorrow! Oh! I almost forgot. I have a gift for you." She handed Gaara a rectangular package wrapped in the signature Leaf wrapping paper, it was green foil with the Leaf symbol printed on it in red.

"Thank you! And Merry Christmas Tsunade." Gaara smiled and turned towards the Inn, gift in hand.


	26. Dec 25

So this is a day late. I apologize, I had a house full of people yesterday and food to cook and eat. I hope you enjoy this addition to my Christmas story. And I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas day regardless of what you were celebrating. Thank you for reading my work!

A word of explanation. There has been a present that has been mentioned in almost every days story. Poor thing has been passed around to nearly everyone. It is the dreaded fruitcake. Today's story is the story of that fruitcake, the people who got it and their individual reactions to it. I had fun making this. It does not mean that I hate fruitcake, just that it has a poor reputation in my household. LOL

Lady

* * *

Kakashi stared at the rectangular item in front of him. It had been the free gift he'd received for buying the holiday edition of _Make Out Paradise- The Christmas Party_. But to be honest he wasn't sure what to do with it. His father had warned him about fruit cake when he was a kid and he'd always managed to avoid it until now. It was wrapped in a cheery holiday paper with Christmas trees and Santa Clauses printed all over it.

He looked at the clock, it was 3 pm. He was supposed to be at the town tree helping his and Asuma's team put the lights on the tree half an hour ago so he rose to leave. That's when inspiration hit. Picking up the package he decided it would be the perfect gift for his fellow jonin.

* * *

Asuma was walking out the door to go to Kurenai's for dinner. They were trying to spend more time together over the holiday season, Asuma hoped it would deepen their relationship. As he headed for the door he noticed the present Kakashi had given him. He was fairly certain it was a fruitcake and he didn't really like them all that much. So he grabbed it, he'd bring it to Kurenai as a gift. She'd probably love it, she loved fruity things, she was with him after all.

* * *

Kurenai rolled her eyes when Asuma handed her the gift. She knew exactly what it was. She wondered if he'd notice that she didn't serve it. She'd made the mistake of opening a fruit cake one year to serve, and ruined three of her best knives before giving up trying to cut it and abandoning it on the kitchen counter. Maybe she could give it to someone with better tools?

* * *

Guy looked at the gift Kurenai had given him. She was sweet woman, he knew this to be true, so he wondered why she had given him this? On the outside it looked like cake but he'd already dulled three kunai trying to cut a slice off of it. He considered his options and decided to try and shatter its outer shell. He placed it on the table, carefully moving everything else out of the way and readied his nunchaku for a hit. His table cracked but the cake remained untouched. In a last ditch attempt he moved his efforts to the backyard and used his Asa Kujaku attack.

Guy sat and depressingly looked at the cake Kurenai had given him. He wondered why he couldn't break through its tough exterior. Finally he decided he'd re-wrap it and give it to someone else who was closer to the springtime of their youth than he was and might be able to enjoy it more than he could. He wondered if he was getting past the springtime of his own youth.

* * *

Iruka had initially been touched that Guy had thought to buy him a gift but when he realized that it was a fruitcake he wasn't so sure. He briefly considered eating it himself before remembering his last attempt to eat one. It was then that he decided that this was the perfect opportunity for a re-gift. He rewrapped the fruitcake in his favorite paper, green with red shuriken printed all over it. He was sure one of his past students needed to learn the truth about fruitcakes anyway.

* * *

Ino glared at the fruitcake sitting on her table. Even her chakra scalpel hadn't made a dent in it. She wondered what she could do with it. She wondered why Iruka-sensei had given it to her in the first place. She decided she'd just rewrap it and give it to Sakura at the pond this afternoon. She was thankful that she hadn't destroyed the paper when she'd unwrapped it. If anyone could cut this it would be Sakura with her superior chakra scalpel. She figured if Sakura couldn't do it then one of Team 7 should be able to.

* * *

Sakura eyed the odd package Ino had given her. The shuriken wrapping paper wasn't Ino's style which meant she had re-gifted something, and judging by the weight and shape of the package Sakura was fairly certain it was a fruitcake. She knew better than to try and eat it. So she cheerily re-wrapped it in her own paper, the wise shinobi re-wraps the gift before re-gifting it, she thought. Setting it aside for her favorite sensei she smiled and turned to finish preparing the dough for cookies.

* * *

Kakashi eyed the package Sakura had given him and tucked it under his arm. He was certain that it was the fruitcake he'd given Asuma a few days ago. He wondered about the karma that had brought it back to him and then wondered who he could give it to this time. Opportunity arose when he ran into Sasuke on his way home. He figured it was a turn of luck for him.

* * *

Sasuke glared at the fruitcake sitting in front of him. Even his fireball jutsu had no effect on it. He figured his best bet was passing it on which is what he was sure Kakashi-sensei had done to him. He considered his options. Giving it to Itachi, which would be funny, might result in Sasuke still having to deal with it. Smiling he decided his best option was to give it to Shisui, not only would it repay him for some of the pranks he had pulled on Sasuke but with any luck Shisui might pass it back to Kakashi.

* * *

Shisui grabbed the rectangular package that Sasuke had given him. He knew exactly what it was and didn't even bother rewrapping it. The wrapping job was pretty, probably done by Sasuke's female teammate, although it was wrinkled. He tucked it under his arm and headed to the Hokage tower for work, he knew he'd run into someone. Opportunity came when he and Itachi passed Kotetsu as they were dragging Naruto in to see the hokage.

* * *

Kotetsu stared at the cake in front of him with a bemused look. Even his kunai knife hadn't made a dent in it. He wondered if perhaps it was a decoration and not meant to be eaten. He decided that he'd re-wrap it and give it to Genma, he'd been a jonin for a while and he might know better. Besides that would save him the embarrassment of having to admit that he had no idea what it was.

* * *

Genma looked at the package Kotetsu had given him. He knew it was a fruitcake and had no desire to open it and attempt to eat it. It was the perfect opportunity for a re-gift. He decided he'd give it to Sai. Smiling he tucked it under his arm as he headed to the jonin Christmas party.

* * *

Sai stared at the cake Genma had given him. After attempting to cut it with his tanto and failing he had produced a hawk with his super beast scroll and dropped it from the sky. The drop had no effect either and so Sai, rather than admit to another social blunder, decided to re-wrap it and give it to someone who might know how to handle it. After some thought he decided Choji was a good choice, he liked food.

* * *

Choji eyed the package Sai had given him. He knew it was a fruitcake and he knew it had been passed around, he could just tell. Although it had probably been perfectly fine when it started its life as a fruitcake he was sure it was no longer edible. He didn't want it to go to waste though so he rewrapped it in the signature Akimichi wrapping paper and set it aside. He was sure Neji would appreciate it.

* * *

Neji stared at the cake Choji had given him. He used every Hyuuga jutsu he knew and not even made a dent. He sighed as he rewrapped it, if anyone could cut it, it would be his weapons specialist team mate.

* * *

TenTen smiled at her team mate when he gave her a gift as he walked her home. She wondered why he was giving her a fruitcake. Had she done something to upset him? Well, she wasn't one to worry about the past, she figured she'd just re-gift it. She'd change the wrapping paper first though so it wouldn't be obvious.

* * *

Shikamaru grimaced when Tenten gave him the rectangular shaped package, it was solid and heavy which meant it was definitely a fruitcake. He wondered why she had decided to give it to him? He knew that he wasn't interested in trying to eat it and he didn't want his mother to yell at him for bringing one home so he grinned and tucked it under his arm and went looking for Ibiki.

* * *

Ibiki was going to be tricked by a fruitcake gift, he knew better. He waited for Shikamaru to leave and then promptly went looking for Itachi. He paused when he saw him standing by Shikamaru who was being hugged by Ino but decided it was worth the risk. Smiling it he handed it off to Itachi with a simple explanation, "A present for you."

* * *

Itachi smiled at the gift Ibiki had given him. He had also seen the look Shikamaru had given it and assumed that meant it was a re-gift. He wondered who he could pass it on to. Opportunity came his way when he ran into Sakura, his brother's teammate in the tower. With any luck she'd pass it on to his little brother.

* * *

Sakura eyed the gift Itachi had given her. It looked suspiciously like the fruitcake she had given Kakashi-sensei. The wrapping paper was different but the cake itself looked like it had been through a boxing match, or at least a village full of ninja. She carefully re-wrapped it in fresh paper and cheerfully went out to find Jiraiya, after all he might know more about fruitcakes than she did.

* * *

Jiraiya thanked Sakura for thinking of him but in his mind he was wondering why such a sweet girl would give anyone a fruitcake. He wondered who he could pass it off to without offending them. He also wondered who had already gotten it. He kept it with him all day waiting for the perfect opportunity which came when he joined Sakura in a snowball fight. Yamato might enjoy it anyway, he reasoned.

* * *

Yamato unwrapped the gift Jiraiya had given him but his shoulders slumped when he realized that it was indeed a fruitcake. He had hoped for chocolate. He re-wrapped it carefully in the same paper it had been in and tucked it under his arm before heading out to join Team 7 in decorating Kakashi-senpai's home for the holiday. His old senpai could use a little holiday cheer anyway.

* * *

Kakashi looked at the gift Yamato had given him warily. He was sure it was the same fruitcake he had given away three weeks ago. Sure the wrapping paper had changed but what were the chances that there were two fruitcakes making the rounds in Konoha? He wondered if he was just going to be stuck with it. He sighed and decided that he'd think about it while he was out shopping for a gift for his Hokage. His face lit up! He had a gift for her! And it was so beautifully wrapped in silver paper.

* * *

Lady Tsunade eyed the almost gaudy gift Kakashi handed her. Judging by the weight and size she knew it was a fruitcake and she knew exactly what she would do with it.

* * *

Gaara stared at the gift Tsunade had given him in bewilderment. Initially he and his siblings had thought it was a cake but after dulling a few kunai on it they weren't so sure. Temari had unleashed her

Wind Release: Wind Cutter on it which had no effect. Kankuro had then decided his iron maiden might work and he was now sullenly sitting in the corner resharpening the blades inside of it. In a final last ditch effort Gaara had tried his Sand Coffin technique. He was mystified. Perhaps the Hidden Leaf village had shared a new weapon with them for Christmas? He shrugged his shoulders and made a mental note to deliver the odd item to the special weapons division for future use against their enemies.


End file.
